LED flip-chip package structure with dummy bumps

ABSTRACT

A light-emitting device (LED) package component includes an LED chip having a first active bond pad and a second active bond pad. A carrier chip is bonded onto the LED chip through flip-chip bonding. The carrier chip includes a first active through-substrate via (TSV) and a second active TSV connected to the first and the second active bond pads, respectively. The carrier chip further includes a dummy TSV therein, which is electrically coupled to the first active bond pad, and is configured not to conduct any current when a current flows through the LED chip.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to light-emitting device (LED) packagecomponents, and more particularly to LED package structures includingthrough-substrate vias (TSVs).

BACKGROUND

In recent years, optical devices, such as light-emitting diodes (LED),laser diodes, and UV photo-detectors have increasingly been used.Group-III nitride compounds, such as gallium nitride (GaN) and theirrelated alloys, have been known suitable for the formation of theoptical devices. The large bandgap and high electron saturation velocityof the group-III nitride compounds also make them excellent candidatesfor applications in high-temperatures and high-speed power electronics.

Due to the high equilibrium pressure of nitrogen at typical growthtemperatures, it is extremely difficult to obtain GaN bulk crystals.Therefore, GaN layers and the respective LEDs are often formed on othersubstrates that match the characteristics of GaN. Sapphire (Al₂O₃) is acommonly used substrate material. FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectionalview of an LED package component. LED 2, which includes a plurality ofGaN-based layers formed on sapphire substrate 4. Sapphire substrate 4 isfurther mounted on lead frame 6. Electrodes 8 and 10 electricallyconnect LED 2 to lead frame 6 through gold wires 12.

It was observed that sapphire has a low thermal conductivity.Accordingly, the heat generated by LED 2 cannot be dissipatedefficiently through sapphire substrate 4. Instead, the heat needs to bedissipated through the top end of LED 2 and through gold wires 12.However, since gold wires 12 are relatively long since they have toextend to lead frame 6, the heat-dissipating efficiency through goldwires 12 is also low. In addition, electrode 10 occupies chip area, andhence the LED light output area is not optimized.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect, a light-emitting device (LED) packagecomponent includes an LED chip having a first active bond pad and asecond active bond pad. A carrier chip is bonded to the LED chip throughflip-chip bonding. The carrier chip includes a first activethrough-substrate via (TSV) and a second active TSV connected to thefirst and the second active bond pads, respectively. The carrier chipfurther includes a dummy TSV therein, which is electrically coupled tothe first active bond pad and is configured not to conduct any currentwhen a current flows through the LED chip.

Other embodiments are also disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the embodiments, and the advantagesthereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a conventionallight-emitting device (LED) package structure formed on a sapphiresubstrate; and

FIGS. 2 through 6 are cross-sectional views of intermediate stages inthe manufacturing of a package component including an LED in accordancewith an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The making and using of the embodiments of the disclosure are discussedin detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodimentsprovide many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in awide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussedare merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the disclosure.

A novel light-emitting device (LED) package component and the method offorming the same are presented. The intermediate stages of manufacturingan embodiment are illustrated. The variations of the embodiment are thendiscussed. Throughout the various views and illustrative embodiments,like reference numbers are used to designate like elements.

FIG. 2 illustrates wafer 100, which includes LEDs 22 formed on substrate20. In an embodiment, substrate 20 is formed of sapphire (Al₂O₃, whichis transparent), although it may also be formed of other materialshaving characteristics close to the characteristics of the layers inLEDs 22 (which may comprise group-III and group-V elements, or alsoknown as III-V compound semiconductor materials). Substrate 20 may alsobe a silicon carbide substrate, a silicon substrate with a siliconcarbide layer thereon, a silicon germanium substrate, or otherapplicable semiconductor substrates.

In an exemplary embodiment, un-doped gallium nitride (u-GaN) layer 24 isformed on, and possibly contacts, substrate 20. In an embodiment, u-GaNlayer 24 is substantially free from elements other than Ga and N. LEDs22 are formed on, and may possibly contact, u-GaN layer 24. LEDs 22 mayinclude a plurality of layers. In an exemplary embodiment, each of LEDs22 include n-GaN layer (GaN doped with an n-type impurity) 26, multiplequantum well (MQW) 28, p-GaN layer (GaN doped with a p-type impurity)30, reflector 32, and top electrodes (which are also bond pads) 34.Reflectors 32 may be formed of metal, for example. MQWs 28 may be formedof, for example, InGaN, and act as active layers for emitting light. Theformation of layers 26, 28, 30, 32, and 34 are known in the art, andhence are not repeated herein. In an exemplary embodiment, the formationmethods of layers 26, 28, and 30 include epitaxial growth. It isrealized that LEDs 22 may have many designs and FIG. 2 only shows anexemplary version among the available variations. For example, thematerials of each of layers 26, 28, and 30 may be different from theabove-discussed materials, and may include ternary III-V compoundsemiconductor materials, such as GaAsP, GaPN, AlInGaAs, GaAsPN, andAlGaAs, or the like. Also, the positions of n-GaN layer 26 and p-GaNlayer 30 may be swapped.

Each of LEDs 22 further comprise bond pads 38, which are used to connectto n-GaN layer 26. Accordingly, bond pads 34 and 38 are used to apply avoltage to the respective LED 22, so that the respective LED 22 isactivated to emit light. In an embodiment, at least one of electrodes 34in each of LEDs 22 has a current flowing through during the usage (lightemission) of LED 22, while one or more electrodes 34 are dummyelectrodes, which do not have any current flowing through when thevoltage is applied.

Solder bumps 36 (including active solder bumps 36B and dummy solderbumps 36A) and 40 are formed on LEDs 22. Solder bumps 36 and 40 may beformed of commonly used solder materials, such as lead-free solders,eutectic solders, or the like. After the formation of solder bumps 36and 40, wafer 100 is diced into a plurality of LED chips 44, with eachof the LED chips 44 comprising one or more LED 22. In the embodimentwherein each LED chip 44 includes more than one LED chip 44 on a samesubstrate 20, the LEDs 22 in the same LED chips are referred to as LEDtiles. After LED chips 44 are sawed from wafer 100, bevel cuts 42 (notshown in FIG. 2, please refer to FIG. 4) may be formed at the edges ofLED chips 44, so that the respective edge forms a slant angle (not equalto 90 degrees) with the surface plane of the respective substrate 20.Bevel cuts 42 may reduce the stress in the resulting package structure.

Referring to FIG. 3, carrier wafer 60 is provided. Carrier wafer 60comprises substrate 62, which may be a semiconductor substrate, such asa silicon substrate, or may be a dielectric substrate. Through-substratevias (TSVs) 64 (including dummy TSVs 64A and active TSVs 64B) are formedin substrate 62, and may electrically connect features on opposite sidesof substrate 62. TSVs 64 may be formed of copper or other metals, suchas tungsten, or alloys thereof. Bond pads 66 are formed on one side ofcarrier wafer 60 and connect to TSVs 64.

TSVs 64 include TSVs 64B (referred to as active TSVs) that are used forconducting a current for driving LED chip 44 and optional dummy TSVs64A. Throughout the description, dummy TSVs 64A are also referred to asthermal TSVs since they have the function of dissipating heat.Similarly, the bond pads 66 that have a current flowing through duringthe light-emission of the respective LED chips 44 (after the LED chips44 are bonded) are referred to as active bond pads 66B, while the bondpads 66 that do not have any current flowing through during thelight-emission of the respective LED chips 44 are referred to as dummybond pads 66A. Optionally, ohmic lines 68 are embedded inside carrierwafer 60. Ohmic lines 68 may interconnect bond pads, so that they may beused to regulate the current flowing through LED chips 44 that are to bebonded onto carrier wafer 60. Alternatively, no ohmic lines are formed.Instead, metal features having negligible resistances are used.

Carrier wafer 60 may include bevel cuts 61, which are groves extendingfrom a major surface of carrier wafer 60 into carrier wafer 60. Bevelcuts 61 may have a v-shape cross-sectional view, a rectangularcross-sectional view, or the like. The formation of bevel cuts 61results in the increase in the surface area of carrier wafer 60, whichin turn results in the improvement in the heat dissipating ability ofcarrier wafer 60. However, the formation of bevel cuts 61 may result inthe mechanical strength of carrier wafer 60 to be sacrificed, and thedepths of bevel cuts 61 need to be tuned to satisfy both theheat-dissipation requirement and the specification of the mechanicalstrength.

Referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of LED chips 44 diced from wafer 100 isbonded onto carrier wafer 60 through flip-chip bonding. During thebonding process, solder bumps 36 and 40 are reflowed to join bond pads34 and 38. Optionally, underfill 72 may be filled into the gaps betweenLED chips 44 and carrier wafer 60. During the dispensing of underfill72, bevel cuts 42 may reduce the difficulty of dispensing.

Referring to FIG. 5, silicone lenses 74 are molded onto LED chips 44.The molding of silicone lenses 74 is known in the art and hence is notrepeated herein. Each of silicone lenses 74 may cover the respective LEDchips 44. In the case no underfill 72 is filled, silicone will also befilled into the gaps between LED chips 44 and carrier wafer 60 andperforms the function of underfill 72.

Solder balls 76 are then formed onto carrier wafer 60, and are connectedto TSVs 64. In an embodiment, all of TSVs 64, including thermal TSVs 64Aand active TSVs 64B, have solder balls 76 (including active solder balls76B and dummy solder balls 76A) formed thereon. In alternativeembodiments, only active TSVs 64B have solder balls 76 formed thereon,while no solder balls 76 are formed on thermal TSVs 64A.

In an embodiment, after solder balls 76 are mounted onto carrier wafer60, carrier wafer 60 is sawed along scribe lines 63, so that thestructure shown in FIG. 5 is separated into individual packagecomponents. Accordingly, carrier wafer 60 is separated into a pluralityof carrier chips 60′, with each carrier chips 60′ being bonded to atleast one LED chip 44. In alternative embodiments, carrier wafer 60 issawed apart first, and then solder balls 76 are mounted onto theresulting packages. In the LED package components, solder balls 76B areactive solder balls, through which a voltage may be applied to LED chip44, and a current flows through active solder balls 76B when the voltageis applied. On the other hand, solder balls 76A are dummy solder ballsand may not have any current flowing when the voltage is applied.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates electrical component 81 bonded tosolder balls 76B through, for example, bond pads 80. No bond pads arebonded onto thermal dummy solder balls 76A. Electrical component 81 maybe a printed circuit board (PCB) or other types of electrical packagingdevices. Since no current flows through dummy solder balls 76A, nocurrent flows through thermal TSVs 64A and dummy solder bumps 36Aeither. However, thermal TSVs 64A and dummy solder bumps 36A are formedof metals, and hence have an excellent thermal conductivity. The heatgenerated in LED chips 44 may be conducted to carrier chips 60′ easilythrough thermal TSVs 64A and dummy solder bumps 36A. Accordingly, theheat dissipating ability of the LED package component, as shown in FIG.6, is improved over conventional LED packages where the light may bepartially blocked by elements of the package. Further, the lightgenerated by LED chips 44 is emitted through substrate 20 that istransparent, and is not blocked by any wire or bond pad. Accordingly,the light output efficiency in accordance with various embodiments ofthe present invention is high and improved over conventional LEDpackages where the thermal path included materials having low thermalconductivity. Further, since pitch P2 between active solder balls 76B(and between active TSVs 64B) is greater than the pitch P1 betweenactive solder bumps 36B and 40 (which is also the pitch between therespective bond pads 34 and 38, the resulting package is a fan-outpackage that may be easily bonded, for example, onto other electricalcomponents, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Although the embodiments and their advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Moreover,the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited tothe particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, andcomposition of matter, means, methods and steps described in thespecification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readilyappreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed, that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the disclosure.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps. In addition, each claim constitutes a separateembodiment, and the combination of various claims and embodiments arewithin the scope of the disclosure.

1. A light-emitting device (LED) package component comprising: an LEDchip comprising a first active bond pad and a second active bond pad;and a carrier chip bonded to the LED chip through flip-chip bonding,wherein the carrier chip comprises: a first active through-substrate via(TSV) and a second active TSV connected to the first and the secondactive bond pads, respectively; and a dummy TSV in the carrier chip andconfigured not to conduct any current when a current flows through theLED chip.
 2. The LED package component of claim 1 further comprising adummy solder bump joining a bond pad on a surface of the LED chip to thedummy TSV.
 3. The LED package component of claim 1, wherein no solderball is electrically connected to the dummy TSV and on an opposite sideof the carrier chip than the LED chip.
 4. The LED package component ofclaim 1, wherein the first active bond pad and the second active bondpad have a first pitch, and wherein the first active TSV and the secondactive TSV have a second pitch greater than the first pitch.
 5. The LEDpackage component of claim 4, wherein the carrier chip comprises bevelcuts facing away from the LED chip.
 6. The LED package component ofclaim 1, wherein the LED chip comprises a bevel cut on an edge.
 7. TheLED package component of claim 1, wherein the carrier chip comprises anohmic line built in the carrier chip and electrically connecting thefirst active bond pad to the first active TSV.
 8. The LED packagecomponent of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of dummy TSVs in thecarrier chip.
 9. A light-emitting device (LED) package componentcomprising: an LED chip comprising a first active bond pad and a secondactive bond pad configured to conduct a current flowing through thefirst and the second active bond pads for activating the LED chip toemit light, wherein the first and the second active bond pads have afirst pitch; a carrier chip comprising a first active through-substratevia (TSV) and a second active TSV electrically connected to the firstand the second active bond pads, respectively, wherein the LED chip andthe carrier chip are bonded through flip-chip bonding; and a firstsolder ball and a second solder ball on the carrier chip andelectrically connected to the first and the second active bond pads,respectively, wherein the first solder ball and the second solder ballare on an opposite side of the carrier chip than the LED chip, andwherein the first solder ball and the second solder ball have a secondpitch greater than the first pitch.
 10. The LED package component ofclaim 9 further comprising: a dummy TSV in the carrier chip; and a dummysolder bump joining a bond pad on a surface of the LED chip to the dummyTSV, wherein the dummy solder bump is electrically connected to the LEDchip, and is configured not to conduct any current when a current flowsthrough the first and the second active bond pads.
 11. The LED packagecomponent of claim 10, wherein no solder ball is electrically connectedto the dummy TSV and on a same side of the carrier chip as the first andthe second solder balls.
 12. The LED package component of claim 10further comprising: a dummy solder ball electrically connected to thedummy TSV and on a same side of the carrier chip as the first and thesecond solder balls; and an electrical component comprising a firstelectrical connection connected to the first solder ball and a secondelectrical connection connected to the second solder ball, wherein theelectrical component is configured to conduct a current flowing throughthe first solder ball and the second solder ball, with no currentfollowing through the dummy solder ball.
 13. The LED package componentof claim 9, wherein the carrier chip comprises bevel cuts extending froma major surface of the carrier chip into the carrier chip, with themajor surface and the first and the second solder balls being on a sameside of the carrier chip.
 14. The LED package component of claim 9,wherein the LED chip comprises a bevel cut on an edge.
 15. The LEDpackage component of claim 9, wherein the carrier chip comprises anohmic line electrically coupled to the first active bond pad.